Wednesday, January 30, 2013

This day in History: Jan 30, 1972: Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland

In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 unarmed civil
rights demonstrators are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an
event that becomes known as "Bloody Sunday." The protesters, all
Northern Catholics, were marching in protest of the British policy of
internment of suspected Irish nationalists. British authorities had
ordered the march banned, and sent troops to confront the demonstrators
when it went ahead. The soldiers fired indiscriminately into the crowd
of protesters, killing 13 and wounding 17.

The killings brought
worldwide attention to the crisis in Northern Ireland and sparked
protests all across Ireland. In Dublin, the capital of independent
Ireland, outraged Irish citizens lit the British embassy aflame on
February 2.

The crisis in Northern Ireland escalated in 1969 when
British troops were sent to the British possession to suppress
nationalist activity by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and to quell
religious violence between Protestants and Catholics.

In April
1972, the British government released a report exonerating British
troops from any illegal actions during the Londonderry protest. Irish
indignation over Britain's Northern Ireland policies grew, and Britain
increased its military presence in the North while removing any vestige
of Northern self-rule. On July 21, 1972, the IRA exploded 20 bombs
simultaneously in Belfast, killing British military personnel and a
number of civilians. Britain responded by instituting a new court system
composed of trial without jury for terrorism suspects and conviction
rates topped over 90 percent.

The IRA officially disarmed in
September 2005, finally fulfilling the terms of the historic 1998 Good
Friday peace agreement. It was hoped that the disarmament would bring
with it an end to decades of politically motivated bloodshed in the
region.

Two investigations have been held by the British government. The Widgery Tribunal,
held in the immediate aftermath of the event, largely cleared the
soldiers and British authorities of blame—Widgery described the
soldiers' shooting as "bordering on the reckless"—but was widely
criticised as a "whitewash".[1][2][3] The Saville Inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate,
was established in 1998 to reinvestigate the events. Following a
12-year inquiry, Saville's report was made public on 15 June 2010, and
contained findings of fault that could re-open the controversy, and
potentially lead to criminal investigations for some soldiers involved
in the killings.[4]

The report found that all of those shot were unarmed, and that the
killings were both "unjustified and unjustifiable." On the publication
of the Saville report the British prime minister, David Cameron, made a formal apology on behalf of the United Kingdom.[5]

The Dead [6][7]

John (Jackie) Duddy. Shot in the chest in the car park of Rossville flats. Four witnesses stated Duddy was unarmed and running away from the paratroopers when he was killed. Three of them saw a soldier take deliberate aim at the youth as he ran. He is the uncle of the Irish boxer John Duddy.

Belt worn by Patrick Doherty. The notch was made by the bullet that killed him.Mural by Bogside Artists depicting all who were killed by the British Army on the day

Patrick Joseph Doherty. Shot from behind while attempting to crawl to safety in the forecourt of Rossville flats. Doherty was the subject of a series of photographs, taken before and after he died by French journalist Gilles Peress. Despite testimony from "Soldier F" that he had fired at a man holding and firing a pistol, Widgery acknowledged that the photographs showed Doherty was unarmed, and that forensic tests on his hands for gunshot residue proved negative.

Bernard McGuigan. Shot in the back of the head when he went to help Patrick Doherty. He had been waving a white handkerchief at the soldiers to indicate his peaceful intentions.

Hugh Pius Gilmour. Shot through his right elbow, the bullet then entering his chest as he ran from the paratroopers on Rossville Street. Widgery acknowledged that a photograph taken seconds after Gilmour was hit corroborated witness reports that he was unarmed, and that tests for gunshot residue were negative.

Kevin McElhinney. Shot from behind while attempting to crawl to safety at the front entrance of the Rossville Flats. Two witnesses stated McElhinney was unarmed.

Michael Gerald Kelly. Shot in the stomach while standing near the rubble barricade in front of Rossville Flats. Widgery accepted that Kelly was unarmed.

John Pius Young. Shot in the head while standing at the rubble barricade. Two witnesses stated Young was unarmed.

William Noel Nash. Shot in the chest near the barricade. Witnesses stated Nash was unarmed and going to the aid of another when killed.

Michael M. McDaid. Shot in the face at the barricade as he was walking away from the paratroopers. The trajectory of the bullet indicated he could have been killed by soldiers positioned on the Derry Walls.

James Joseph Wray. Wounded then shot again at close range while lying on the ground. Witnesses who were not called to the Widgery Tribunal stated that Wray was calling out that he could not move his legs before he was shot the second time.

Gerald Donaghy. Shot in the stomach while attempting to run to safety between Glenfada Park and Abbey Park. Donaghy was brought to a nearby house by bystanders where he was examined by a doctor. His pockets were turned out in an effort to identify him. A later police photograph of Donaghy's corpse showed nail bombs in his pockets. Neither those who searched his pockets in the house nor the British army medical officer (Soldier 138) who pronounced him dead shortly afterwards say they saw any bombs. Donaghy had been a member of Fianna Éireann, an IRA-linked Republican youth movement. Paddy Ward, a police informer who gave evidence at the Saville Inquiry, claimed that he had given two nail bombs to Donaghy several hours before he was shot dead.

Gerald (James) McKinney. Shot just after Gerald Donaghy. Witnesses stated that McKinney had been running behind Donaghy, and he stopped and held up his arms, shouting "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!", when he saw Donaghy fall. He was then shot in the chest.

William Anthony McKinney. Shot from behind as he attempted to aid Gerald McKinney (no relation). He had left cover to try to help Gerald.

John Johnston. Shot in the leg and left shoulder on William Street 15 minutes before the rest of the shooting started. Johnston was not on the march, but on his way to visit a friend in Glenfada Park. He died 4½ months later; his death has been attributed to the injuries he received on the day. He was the only one not to die immediately or soon after being shot.